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Crabology
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Chris Silard opened his message on Sunday with some observations about the behavior of crabs. His words are well worth repeating here. Thanks again for being with us, Chris!
Have you ever heard of “crabology”? You may not know this, but I actually am a certified crabologist. I’ve studied the habits of crabs for years—as they’re cooking in a pot on my stove! And, here’s what I’ve discovered: Crabs have this innate, persistent desire to survive! You put them in the pot, and what begins to happen? You hear a little noise, and you open the pot, and stuck under the bottom of the lid is a crab, because he wants to get out. But, if you leave the lid off and watch them for a little while, here’s what you’ll see … they make their way to the top of the pot, because they can tell, “that hot steam coming up from underneath is not good for me!” So they climb on top of other crabs, totally disregarding eye balls (or whatever it is crabs have), and they try to make their way, with their claws, to the edge of the pot to survive … only to find there’s another crab holding on to their leg underneath, pulling them back in the pot, saying, “Where are you going? Stay here with the rest of us!”
See, crabs don’t care about the other crabs. They will promote their own interests at the expense of the other crabs. They will step on them and ignore the needs of other crabs to get to the top.
You know, crabs are not the only species on this planet that have this tendency. We do, too. Crabs will climb on others to preserve their lives, but we grasp at the top of the pot while we use or ignore others to preserve our own glory.
Look at verse 3 again with me. Paul commands us, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit.” What’s rivalry? That’s just a way of saying you’re pursuing your own interests at the expense of others. Maybe you want them to look bad; maybe you just don’t care. You’re reaching for the top of the pot, no matter what happens to others.
Conceit just means this: seeking a glory with no foundation in it. It’s empty conceit; it’s vain conceit, because it’s not based on anything true! [We have] this desire that we be esteemed for something we shouldn’t be esteemed for. That’s why it’s empty. What are rivalry and conceit? Competition ... self-promoting pride that says, “Me first!” And that mindset is public enemy number one, in my life and your life, to humble servanthood.
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